Lay sword for looms



May s, 1928. 1,669,389

S. O. DEANE LAY SWORD FOR LOOMS Filed Aug. 25, 1927 Fig. 2.

Inventor. STewarr O. Deane YM MkM Atty:

Patented May 8, 1928.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEWART DEANE, OF HARRISVILLE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER CORPO- RATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

LAY SWORD FOR LOOMS.

Application filed August 25, 1927. Serial No. 215,345.

This invention relates to lay swords for looms and has as its object to provide a novel and efficient means for preventing the breakage of the swords when the lay is suddenly stopped before the'completion of its swinging movement.

More particularly the object of the invention is to provide such a means for protecting a lay sword from breakage or abnormal strain when the lay bangs off or is sud-' denly stopped in its forward movement, as under the control of the usual protector mechanism commonly employed in looms.

The invention further has as its object to provide such a means at the lower end of the lay sword in the form of a yielding connection with the shaft, thus rendering unnecessary any change in the construction or operation of the parts which act to give the rocking movement to the lay.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims. p

The invention is applicable to practically any form of loom having a swinging or rocking lay. It is unnecessary therefore, to illustrate or describe anything more than a portion of one form of loom construction to which the invention may be applied.

In the drawings: I I

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partially broken away and partially in vertical cross section of the forward left-hand side of an ordinary type of plain loom with a preferred form of the invention embodied therein.

Fig; 52 is a front elevation. on a smaller scale of a portion of both lay swords of such a loom and the pivotal shaft therefor showing the invention applied to each.

Fig. 3 is a detail on a large scale of a preferred form of construction in which the invention is specifically embodied.

'A loom such as that showncoinprisesthe side frames 1 and 2 connected at the front by the breast beam 3. A lay rocker shaft 4 usually extends across the loom through both frames at thebottom'and serves as the pivotal axis for the swinging movement of the lay. The lay 5 is supported upon the lay swords 6 and Carried'by this shaft 4, one near each side frame of the loom. The lay is given its rocking movement to beat in the filling during the weaving operation by suitable pitman connections 8 usually operated from the crank shaft (not shown) of the loom and usually pivoted at 9 at their forward ends to the lay swords.

As is well known to those familiar with the Weaving art, it is desirable to provide means for suddenlystopping the swinging movement of thela-y and lay swords. Such a sudden stopping of the lay and lay swords is usually necessary whenthe shuttle fails to complete its flight or to be properly boxed before the filling is beaten in. If the la heats up under these conditions, a smas occurs and the warps may be broken or the mechanism of the loom damaged. The usual means for stopping the loom is the well known protector mechanism- Such a protector mechanism, in the form illustrated, comprises a rod or shaft 10 mounted on the lay swords and extending across the loom, a' finger or arm 11 extending upwardly from, this rod and having adjustably. mounted in its upper end a stud l2 engaging. the rear binder 13 of the shuttle box, and a dagger 14 extending forward and downward from this rod 10. A yielding means such as a spring, not shown, tends to rotate the rod 10 clockwise so as to maintain the stud,12 in contact with the shuttle binder and the. dagger l l'in the path of a frog 15 mounted to slide on the loom frame,'this frog being retarded in its forward sliding movement by a suitable spring or buifennot shown. If the shuttle is properly boxed, the binder 13 will be moved therebyrearward and the dagger 1 L raised abovethe path of the frog, but if the shuttle is'not properly'boxed, the/binder will not be moved and the dagger will stand in the path of the frog. Consequently as the lay approaches the end of its forward move ment, the dagger engages the frog and the swinging movement ofthe lay is suddenly stopped, or, as it is said, the loom ihangs off. A slight movement given-.to the frog upon the stopping of the lay is utilized, as

through the'knock-off lever 16, to throw the shipper 17 and stop the loom all in a familiar manner. The dagger andfrog construction may be provided at one or both sides of the loom. i

lVhen the lay is thus suddenly stopped, as to protect the loom in the case of an improperly boxedshuttle, the pitman connec- I tions 8 are usually moving forward and upward and as the entire power from the crank shaft is applied through the pitman connections 8 to the pivotal point 9, which is well above the point where the dagger 14 engages the frog 15, it will be seen that agreat strain is placed upon the lay sword or swords. It is impossible to stop the loom instantly and there is a very considerable momentum to the moving parts. It will be seen that with the lower end of the swords held rigidly, with the lay locked bythe engagement of the dagger 1a with the frog and with the point Qiorced forward and upward, a heavy twisting strain or turning moment occurs in the s\ i'ord'about a l'i( i'izr iitaliii(is above and parallel with the shaft or pivotal axis of the sword. This strain tends bothto bend the sword and to elongate it. The result is that lay swords are ver frequently broken under these condition f I The present invention provides a give-way connection at the lower end of the lay sword which permits the lower end to move with respect to the shaft l or the pivotal axis when an abnormal strain of the character described takes place and to move'sufiiciently to prevent breakage ojf'the sword. Since the lower end of the sword is a relatively long distance away from the pivotal point 9 and the'point where the dagger engages the frog,

a very slight movement at the lower end is sufficient to counteract this abnormal strain.

Furthermore, by providing a give-way connection at this point, no'change whatever is necessary in the driving connections between the crank shaft or other driving element and the lay. This is important because these connections may thus be made permanently and accurately to insure the proper beating in movement of the lay and may remain unaltered. Any looseness or maladjustment in the connections between the crank shaft and the lay, especially when weaving certain classes of goods, may result in injury to the goods by preventing uni formit-y and accuracy of the beating in of the filling.

Furthermore, it has been found in practice that breakage of the lay swords usually occurs just above the shaft 4 or just above the point where the strain is relieved by the present invention.

' In the preferred form of construction illustrated, the lower end of the lay sword is providedwith a vertically split bearing engaging the shaft 4': and by vertically split it is meant that the bearing so split that when the lay sword yields or moves with respect to its pivotal axis, it will move in a substantially horizontal direction and, in the form illustrated, in a horizontal rearward direction.

In the form illustrated, the lower end of the sword 6 is provided with a semi-circular recess 18 to fit the shaft 4 and a cap 19 having a cooperating semi-circular recess 20 is secured to the sword by a series of bolts 21, herein shown as two in number. Upon these bolts are mounted helical compression springs 22 between the cap 19 and washers and lock nuts 2 l It will be noted that, with the usual construction of loom illustrated, it is necessary, to protect the sword, that the lower end shall move rearward. Consequently the sword extends downward to the rear of the shaft 4 and the cap 19 is placed at the front of the shaft t. When, therefore, the loom is suddenly stopped or bang-off occurs and an abnormal horizontal twist or turning moment in the sword is thus caused at the upper end thereof, the springs 22 yield and the lower end of the sword moves rearward in a horizontal directionto a slight degree, shown in Fig. 1. By providing springs 22 ofproper strength and number and by ad-. justing the nuts 24, this yielding moyement may be adjusted to the degree necessary to prevent any breakage of the swords due to this abnormal strain.

The construction is shown in detail applied to the lay sword at the live frogside of the looin but, as indicated in Fig. 2, may be applied to the swords at each side of the loom.

It is found in practice that looms equipped with this invention may be run at a much higher speed without danger of breaking the swords when bang-off occurs. The production of the looms is therefore materially increased, the expense and loss of time involved in replacing broken swords is eliminated, the accurate adjustments of the connections for operating the layare unim-v paired, and accuracy of beat-up is maintained all by this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is: I

1; In a loom, a shaft, a lay sword having at its lowerend a vertically split bearing engaging the shaft, bolts above and below the shaft connecting the bearing parts, and springs on said bolts acting to clamp, said bearing parts together and to permit separt tion of the bearing parts and a consequent horizontal movement of the lower end of the lay sword.

2. In a loon'i, a shaft, a lay sword extends ing at its lower end to the rear of said, shaft, and means for yieldingly clamping said lower end to said shaft, whereby the lower end of the sword may move rearward slightly to protect the sword against undue strain or breakage upon the occurrence of an abnormal, horizontal twisting strain at the upper end of the sword.

3. In a loom, a lay, a shaft, lay swords supporting the lay and mounted attheir lower ends on said shaft, one of said swords having a vertically split bearing engaging said shaft, and yielding means for clamping said bearing parts together and for permitting said bearing parts to separate upon an abnormal twisting movement being given to the lay.

4c. In a loom, a lay sword pivotallymounted at its lower end, and means acting normally to hold the lower end of the lay sword in fixed rotary relation to its pivotal axis and further acting, upon the occurrence of an abnormal turning moment at the upper end of the sword, to permit the lower end of the sword to swing horizontally away from said pivotal axis.

5. In a loom, a lay sword mounted to swing forward and rearward about a pivotal axis at its lower end, and means acting normally to hold the lower end of the lay sword in fixed rotary relation to its pivotal axis and further acting upon the occurrence of an abnormal twist applied to the sword about an axis above and parallel to the pivotal axis tending to move the upper end of the sword forward, to permit the lower end of the sword to swing rearward away from the pivotal axis.

6. A loom comprising a frame, a lay, a shaft, lay swords supporting the lay and mounted at their lower ends on the shaft, a protector dagger connected to one of the lay swords and engaging theframe when the forward movement a of the lay is to be stopped, means for rocking the lay swords connected thereto above the point of connection ofv the protector dagger, and yielding means, at the lower end of the lay sword to which the protector dagger is connected, acting to permit the lower end to move rear- 'before its completion when required, said means acting when the lay is thus stopped to give an abnormal twist to one of the swords about an axis above and parallel to the shaft tending to move the upper end of the sword forward, and yielding means,

at the lower end of the said sword acting to permit the said lower end to move rearward with respect to the shaft upon the occurrence of the said abnormal twist.

8. A loom comprising a frame, a lay, a

shaft, lay swords supporting the lay and mounted at their lower ends on the shaft, means for rocking the lay forward and backward about the axis of the shaft and for stopping the forward movement of the lay before its completion when required, said means acting when the lay is thus stopped to give an abnormal twist to both the swords about an axis above and parallel to the shaft tending to move the upper ends of both swords forward, and yielding means at the lower ends of both swords acting to permit the said lower ends to move rearward with respect to the shaft upon the occurrence of the said abnormal twist.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

STEWART O. DEANE. 

